Jun 14

Jun 14 Show Review: Dead & Company Celebrate The Spirit of 60s Rock in Mountain View

Dead & Company
Shoreline Amphitheater
Mountain View, CA
June 13th, 2022

Photos and Review by Jared Stossel

Think of any artist out there with an intensely devoted fan base. Perhaps My Chemical Romance comes to mind. Maybe your mind jumps to BTS, Taylor Swift, One Direction, Harry Styles in particular. You have that fan base in your mind? Okay, good. Grateful Dead fans win that argument. Conversation over. Whether you love the band with all your heart or loathe them entirely, pop music devotees have absolutely nothing on the proclaimed “deadheads”. A single “Dead” show is a days long event. Campgrounds are erected alongside any venue. People converse, celebrate, and live in devotion to the music of this band.

While Dead & Company offers a different lineup than the amended Grateful Dead lineup that fans were used to in years past, the spirit of this band is fully embraced. Original Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, and Bill Kreutzmann join guitarist John Mayer, bassist Oteil Burbridge and keyboardist Jeff Chimenti for a nearly four hour show that embraces the mentality and style of the 1960s rock act. Last night, Dead & Company kicked off the first of two shows at Mountain View’s legendary Shoreline Amphitheater (which Stevie Nicks had played just one night prior). There was no opener, just Dead & Company.

As I walked into the amphitheater to take my seat, I can honestly say that I have never seen so many people packed inside of Shoreline Amphitheater before. The smell of patchouli oil wafted through the air as people clogged up the aisles and danced their way through an hours-long jam session. Now, I use the term jam session, but I know that the band are playing a mix of Grateful Dead songs and covers from artists like Henry Thomas, Cannon’s Jug Stompers, and Merle Haggard. But except for the half hour intermission occurring at the end of the first set, Dead & Company never stopped playing. This is par for the course at any Grateful Dead-type show. This band, comprised of some of the finest musicians in the world, strolls through song after song, finding a way to flow seamlessly from one into another. The crowd reacts jovially when they recognize the start of a new one, and then it’s back to dancing through the aisles of the amphitheater.

A show like this isn’t really for me; I’ve always fallen onto the heavier side of the rock and roll spectrum, but there’s no denying that I’d always wanted to see at least one Dead & Company show and experience it for myself. I’m glad I did. I still remember hearing stories about the Grateful Dead’s “Fare Thee Well” show at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA, how a rainbow magically appeared over the stadium as the band kicked in, many people thinking it was the spirit of deceased guitarist Jerry Garcia. You can’t explain moments like that; you must experience it for yourself. After experiencing last night’s show, I can say one thing is for damn certain: the Grateful Dead may technically be gone but acts like Dead & Company will make sure that they are never truly dead.

Dead & Company play Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, CA tonight. Find out more info and get tickets here.

Dead & Company Set List
Set 1:
St. Stephen (Grateful Dead cover)
William Tell Bridge (Grateful Dead cover)
The Eleven (Grateful Dead cover)
Shakedown Street (Grateful Dead cover)
Big Railroad Blues (Cannon’s Jug Stompers cover)
Friend of the Devil (Grateful Dead cover)
Crazy Fingers (Grateful Dead cover)
Don’t Ease Me In (Henry Thomas cover)

Set 2:
Deal (Jerry Garcia cover)
Dark Star (Grateful Dead cover)
El Paso (Marty Robbins cover)
Sing Me Back Home (Merle Haggard cover)
Uncle John’s Band (Grateful Dead cover)
Drums (Grateful Dead cover)
Space (Grateful Dead cover)
Cumberland Blues (Grateful Dead cover)
Death Don’t Have No Mercy (Revered Gary Davis cover)
Sugar Magnolia (Grateful Dead cover)

Encore:
Ripple (Grateful Dead cover)